


The Lucky Ones

by nostalgia



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Gambling, Honeymoon, space vegas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-06
Updated: 2013-03-06
Packaged: 2017-12-04 12:47:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/710943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nostalgia/pseuds/nostalgia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Doctor and River go on honeymoon. Then plot hits them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lucky Ones

River woke with the sunrise and stretched contentedly against the soft sheets that draped across her body. She turned onto her side to look at her husband stretched out on his back next to her. He looked younger in sleep, though she could see lines in his skin that hadn't been there in Berlin. His hair touched his forehead in a way that lent him a sort of boyish charm, the innocence of a much younger man. With his eyes closed, without that ancient gaze, he could have been edging against thirty. It amused River to look like the older woman, to mislead those who glanced their way. 

“Good morning, Sweetie,” she whispered, taking care not to wake him just yet. She touched his chest, felt for the strange beating of his hearts, a rhythm that connected them in its rarity. She slid her hand down across his skin, smiled wickedly when her fingers closed around his cock. 

His lips parted, drew in a sighing breath. One eye opened and turned to look at her. 

“Do you mind?” she asked. 

“Not at all,” he said, voice a little hoarse from sleep. He opened both eyes and met her gaze, seemed to be sizing her up somehow. 

She stroked him with a firm pressure, feeling him harden in her hand as she worked. “Better than an alarm clock, isn't it?”

“I don't know, some of those chimes can be quite... invigorating.” He shifted suddenly, pressing their bodies together and kissing her with a slow determination. Without verbal negotiation they moved through touches and kisses to a lazy morning coupling. 

River decided that marriage was something she could get quite used to. 

 

When she woke again the other side of the bed was empty. She listened, but the only sounds in the room were her own. Propping herself up on her elbow she saw that his clothes were gone and hers had been piled neatly on a chair by the bed.

She sat up, holding the sheets to her chest. She didn't call out in case there wasn't a response. Her mind raced to the worst possibilities. Had he belatedly realised what he had committed himself to, and fled? It was a reaction she'd had herself so many times, but she hadn't expected it from the Doctor. 

River was ashamed at how relieved she was when the door opened and the Doctor appeared carrying two mugs of tea. 

“Sorry,” he said, shoving the door closed with his elbow, “I didn't think you'd wake up before I got back.”

“I wasn't worried,” she lied without hesitation. She took one of the mugs from him and crossed her legs under the covers. “I don't need much sleep.”

“Right,” he said, nodding. He sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. “Did you know that the couple in the next room are celebrating their 250th anniversary? _And_ they're both in season. Patter of tiny tentacles, just you wait.”

“Then they probably don't want to waste time talking to you.”

The Doctor pouted at her and took a sip from his mug. “There _are_ other things couples can do together, you know.”

“Well, I can't say you've prepared me for a life of celibacy.” She smiled at him through the steam of her tea. 

“Hmm.”

River wasn't sure what to make of him at times like this. When he wasn't actually _having_ sex he seemed to view it as something people did when they couldn't think of anything more interesting to do. At first she'd assumed it was a façade to hide his sexuality from view, but now she wasn't sure of anything. 

“Well,” she said, wrapping herself in a sheet and standing up from the bed, “I'm going to have a shower.”

“Don't be too long, I want to show you around.”

“So impatient,” she said with a feigned sigh.

“Patience is for boring people, and neither of us is boring.” 

“Thank you, Sweetie,” said River, opening the bathroom door. 

 

“How was the book?” she asked, emerging wrapped in one of the thick hotel towels. 

“Rubbish,” he said, setting it aside. 

“What was it about?” she asked, rubbing her hair with another towel.

“A nurse who falls in love with a doctor.” He caught her astonished look and added quickly, “There's nothing wrong with a bit of romance.”

“I didn't say there was.”

“It was a bit too predictable. And the sex scenes were ridiculous. Human bodies just don't bend that way.”

River dropped the towel around her body and starting rummaging in her holdall for some underwear. “Maybe they weren't human.” She looked up, but he'd moved to the window and wasn't even looking in her direction. 

“It didn't say they weren't, and it was set on Earth.” He opened the glass door to the balcony and breathed in the fresh air. “I should write a novel some day. The greatest love story ever told.”

River bit back a sharp reply and instead said, “I'll help with the illustrations.” She unfolded a long blue-green dress and stepped into it. “Zip me up?”

The Doctor walked over to her and stood behind her. He lifted her hair out of the way and pulled the zip up her back. “Have I ever told you that you'd look wonderful in a fez?”

 

“I think it's going well,” he said as they entered the lift. He pressed the button for the ground floor and looked at her questioningly.

“It's been less of a disaster than I might have expected,” she said. 

The Doctor looked offended. “I've had plenty of honeymoons and all of them went well. Most of them. Some of them. Well, two. If you don't count the bit with the dragons.”

“Admit it, you liked the dragons best.”

“I got singed.”

River took his hand. “You poor thing.”

“There won't be any dragons this time,” he said with determination. “I checked, they don't have any here.” 

“I'll hold you to that. So, where are we going?”

“A tour of the complex. This is one of the top holiday spots in this part of the galaxy, they have almost everything you can think of.”

“By the way,” said River, “how are you paying for this?”

“Ah. It's... look, if anyone calls you 'Your Imperial Majesty' just nod and smile, okay?” He had the grace to look sheepish.

“And here I thought you were going to turn me _away_ from a life of crime.”

“I've saved the universe so many times that I've lost count. I think I'm allowed a nice holiday once in a while, at the expense of the people who live in that universe. It's only fair.”

River nodded as the lift pinged to a halt. They stepped out into the foyer, still holding hands.

“Can we look in the little shop?” asked the Doctor. “I like when they have a little shop. They might have ice-cream.”

The little shop disappointed him by not selling ice-cream. He stared glumly at the rows of expensive jewellery and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I suppose you want a wedding ring?”

“I never advertise my attachments,” said River. “Much less fun that way.”

The Doctor looked scandalised. “Whatever happened to forsaking all others?”

“Oh please, like either of us could ever stick to that. Besides, that wasn't part of the ceremony. I remember it quite clearly and it was just a bit of light bondage and you telling me you were a robot. Which,” she added, “was a lot less fun that that description suggests.”

“I thought it was a good wedding,” said the Doctor. 

“The timeline was erased and I shot you dead.”

“I've had worse,” he said. 

“I can't imagine how.”

“Oh,” he said. “You didn't like our wedding.”

River shrugged. “I don't have anything to compare it to.” She nudged him. “Don't look so upset. I'd be happy with any wedding if you were the groom.”

“I wanted to be the bride.”

“Now you're just being silly.”

“It was _our_ wedding, River, it was never going to be boring.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek quickly. “Now, on with the tour.”

 

They finished with a trip to one of the swimming pools. River emerged from the changing room into the pool area. He stared openly as she slipped into the water beside him.

“Funny,” she said, “this morning I was naked and you didn't give me a second glance. I put on a swimsuit and suddenly you can't take your eyes off me.”

He shrugged. “I've seen you naked, I haven't seen you in that.”

“Oh, so I have novelty value.”

“You always have novelty value.” He turned her towards him and put his hands on her hips. “It's one of the things I like about you.”

River smiled. “I suppose that's romantic for you. Thank you.”

“I've been practising in front of a mirror.” He looked up and frowned. 

“What?”

“Just a minute,” he said to her. He pulled himself out of the water and dripped over to a woman in a bikini reading a news magazine in the shade of a parasol. 

“Excuse me,” he said, taking the magazine from her. 

“Oi!”

“River!” he called, holding up the headline. _Third Person Vanishes From Luxury Resort._ He handed the magazine back to the protesting woman and walked back to the poolside.

“River,” he started, “I know this is supposed to be a holiday -”

“But you're terrible at those and you've found something more interesting to do.”

“You don't have to put it like that, but yes.” He bent down to speak quietly to her. “The last three people to break a million in winnings in the casino have disappeared. Doesn't that sound suspicious to you?”

“Local organised crime, I should imagine. Hardly your area of expertise.” 

“But it might not be,” he persisted. 

“Oh fine, I can't say I'm not curious.” River climbed up the ladder on the side of the pool. “I suppose we should take a look.”

 

After changing into more suitable clothes they headed to the casino. “Where do we start?” asked River, looking around. 

“Let's stick to what we're good at. I'll make some discreet enquiries with the staff, you can... schmooze.”

“Schmooze?”

He shrugged. “Talk to people. Mingle.”

“I'll need some money,” said River.

The Doctor looked at her blankly. 

“It's a casino,” she said. “I can't very well mingle without throwing some cash around, can I?”

“I don't gamble.”

“You gamble all the time, my love.”

“No, I don't. I win. It's not the same thing. I don't carry currency,” said the Doctor, as though it were a point of principle. River, who had gone without a meal or two in her life, glared at him.

“I'm not even sure what's valuable here,” he continued. “Probably something stupid like gold. Do you have any gold?”

River shook her head and then stopped a passing alien with an apologetic smile. “Excuse me.”

“Yes?” He or she – it was hard to tell – looked down at her from a considerable height.

“I don't want to be a nuisance,” said River, “but could I borrow a few coins? My husband and I just got here, haven't had the chance to exchange currency yet, and... well, it's our honeymoon and we need to buy some prophylactics.”

The Doctor stared at River, aghast. The alien didn't seem put out in the least, reaching into a pocket and handing River some coins with a knowing wink. 

“Young love,” said the alien, “is beautiful.” It showed three rows of teeth – presumably a smile – and then disappeared into the crowd.

“Well,” said River, “that wasn't so difficult.”

The Doctor fought the blush that had covered his skin. “You could have said it was for something else!”

“Oh, shush.” She counted the money in her hand. “I'll just make a few small bets. I wonder if they have strip poker?”

 

 

River was counting the last of her chips when the Doctor appeared next to her. She was, however, doing very well with the charming young man across the table from her, thanks mainly to the cut of her dress and the curves of her body. 

The Doctor hopped onto the barstool next to hers and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Nothing. Internal surveillance didn't record anything and nobody left any notes.”

“Have you met my friend?” asked River at her normal volume. “He's ever so interesting. Mr Grone, isn't it?”

Mr Grone nodded and looked suspiciously at the Doctor, who responded with a quick glare. The tension send a thrill up River's spine. She hadn't expected the Doctor to be the jealous type, and any hint of possessiveness was something of a revelation.

“This is the Doctor,” she continued. “He and I are -”

“Married,” he interrupted. “Very married.”

“Sweetie,” she said quietly, “don't be rude to my friends. Especially ones who know all sorts of gossip about recent newsworthy events.”

The Doctor reconsidered. “Well, we're not _that_ married. Hardly at all, in fact.”

That wasn't what River wanted to hear. She smiled at Grone partly for show and partly out of sheer spite. “Did you know, Doctor, that all those people who vanished won over a million in a single night? They must have been very lucky.”

“Not that lucky,” said Grone, “or they'd still be here.”

“Maybe they just decided to sneak out without paying the bill,” suggested the Doctor.

“Oh, I don't think so. I think someone took the money and dumped their bodies outside. In the sea, perhaps.”

River nodded. “That sounds like the sort of thing someone should investigate.”

“The police couldn't find any leads,” said Grone, obviously one of life's great gossips. “And, of course, the resort didn't want to attract any bad publicity.”

“I wonder,” said the Doctor, “how easy it is to win a million.”

 

The Doctor tugged his own hair in frustration. “How can anyone be expected to win this game? It's stupid!”

“It's a game of skill,” said the woman who had taken most of his money away from him.

“I'm skilled,” said the Doctor. “I'm skilled at everything.”

River touched his arm. “Let's try another game.”

“Hmph,” he responded as she led him away from his losses.

“And don't sulk.”

“I've got a rabbit's foot in the TARDIS,” he said suddenly. “That might help.”

“I doubt it,” said River. 

“It's a really good one,” he insisted. “I'll meet you back here in ten minutes.”

“Sweetie, you know I hate it when you lie to me.”

He glanced down at his feet. “Well... I thought I could nip off and learn how to gamble. Shouldn't take more than a week.”

River considered the options. “Fine. But that's _all_ you do, and you make absolutely certain that it's only ten minutes to me.”

He grinned. “I can do this.”

 

When the Doctor returned from his side-trip, they got back to the business of trying to win. Luck seemed to be on their side. Dice rolled the right numbers, cards made good patterns. It wasn't natural, and River grew uneasy as she realised how little skill most of the game involved.

When they hit half a million, River took the Doctor to one side. 

“All right,” she said, “how are you doing it?”

“I told you, I learned how to gamble.”

“I told you that I hate it when you lie.” She put her hands on her hips. “Tell me what you're doing or the whole thing is off.”

The Doctor sighed. “You'll worry.”

“Then you'd better talk quickly.”

“The TARDIS sees everything. All at once. I just increased our connection a bit to get a few seconds of foresight.”

River had slapped him before she even realised that she was moving. 

He rubbed his cheek. “River, there wasn't an alternative. These things are all chance and coincidence. I need to see ahead to know what to do.”

“Meanwhile your brain is slowly frying.”

“I'll stop before that happens.”

“You'd better.”

“I can't just not do something because it's dangerous,” he protested.

“And you don't have to do it simply because it is.” 

“That's not what I'm doing. I promise, River, I don't have any immediate plans to die.”

“I gave up my regenerations for you,” she reminded him. “If you go and die on me, I'll... well, I don't know what I'd do. But I know that you wouldn't like it.”

“Wouldn't I be dead at the time?” he asked, confused.

“Don't argue causality with me, Doctor.”

“We win, I break the link... what could go wrong?”

 

“What are we at?”

“Seven hundred and thirty thousand,” said River. “How are you feeling?”

“Bit bored, to be honest.”

“I meant,” she said with deliberate patience, “your head.”

“Nothing I can't handle.”

River looked around. They'd attracted a small crowd as word of their 'luck' spread. Alcohol was already flowing, and she took a couple of glasses from a tray, handing one to the Doctor. He drank it in one gulp without so much as asking what it was. River sipped her own drink slowly, feeling a bit bemused that around the Doctor _she_ was suddenly the sensible one. 

When they hit the magic million, she smiled and nudged the Doctor. “We're rich, honey.”

“Good,” he said, letting out a breath. “I'll just... nip off and deal with what we talked about.”

“You'd better.”

She waved him off and turned to accept the congratulations of their audience. 

 

She was a little tipsy by the time he got back, and running out of people to flirt with. He took her hand and pulled her close. “Busy, wife?”

She smiled. “Not any more.”

“Good.” 

River was surprised by the pitch of his voice. “Shall we spend some money?” she asked.

“Later.” He shifted against her and she felt a very _interesting_ pressure.

“I assume that isn't the sonic screwdriver,” she said, flirtatiously. 

He whispered in her ear, breath hot against her skin. “I think we should celebrate in our room.”

River wasn't going to argue if he was actually showing an interest. She took his hand and led him to the lifts, waving her other hand in a farewell gesture to the erupting party they were leaving behind. 

When the lift doors closed behind them he hit the 'stop' button and pushed against her until her back was against the wall. 

“My,” she said, “if I knew all it took was money I'd have started saving years ago.” 

He kissed her neck and shoulder without bothering to reply. 

Some internal alarm in her mind alerted River to the fact that nice as this was it wasn't _normal_. She tried to ignore it, but was forced to pay attention when the Doctor looked at her intently.

“Sweetie... what's wrong with your eyes?”

He blinked. “What do you mean?”

“They're all sort of -” She stopped when he suddenly keeled over towards her, catching most of his weight to stop him hitting the ground hard. Suddenly she was all business. “What did you eat?”

She let him slump down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. “I just... had a few drinks. Might be drunk.”

“You've been poisoned.” She started the lift again, pressing the button to return to the foyer. “I should have known,” she said, slightly bitter. 

“Whee,” said the Doctor, falling to one side. 

Before she could react, a blue teleport light surrounded both of them.

 

“River? River, wake up.”

She opened her eyes and sat up quickly. The Doctor moved back from her as she looked round.

“Where are we?”

“We're on a ship, travelling just above light-speed. Course is towards the outer ring of the galaxy.”

River raised her eyebrows. “How could you possibly know that?”

“I asked,” he said, nodding her attention towards a woman in a uniform standing in the shadows in the corner of the room. “Sorry about when I was drugged,” he went on. “I'm better now. They gave me some kind of injection.”

The woman in the corner stepped forwards. “We didn't expect such an unusual reaction. Most people just faint.”

“I'm not most people,” said the Doctor. “River, this is Colonel Murr. She's not very nice.”

“Since you're awake,” said Murr, “I'll call the General.”

“Yes,” said the Doctor, “I always think it's best to go straight to the top.”

River stood a little shakily. They were in some sort of holding cell, from the looks of it. “Why have we been kidnapped?”

“The General will explain,” said Murr.

“He'd better,” said River. “I get ever so annoyed with people who cockblock me.”

 

General Bant was a short, squat person who looked like something heavy had fallen on him from a great height. River hated him on sight but she wasn't sure why.

“People,” said the General, “are dying. The war goes on, never ending.” He smiled. “That's where you come in. The lucky ones.”

“I should probably admit,” said the Doctor, “that we cheated.”

“Good!” General Bant laughed. “That's what we're looking for. A very specific sort of cheat.”

“You're not making much sense here,” said River. 

“Tell me what you did to win. We have a few theories, but it's always good to hear it from the source.”

“Oh, the usual,” said the Doctor with a sharp glance at River. 

Bant sat down on the edge of his desk. “Time-travel or precognition?”

“Guess,” said the Doctor.

“All right, I will!” He smiled. “By the beating of your hearts and the arrogance in your voice, I think we've found a Time Lord. That means you have a... what do you call them? TARDIS?”

The Doctor and River looked at each other. He shrugged and River nodded her agreement. 

“Do you want to steal my time machine?” asked the Doctor. “Use it to win your war?”

“I do like the clever ones,” said Bant. 

“What happened to the other people you kidnapped?” asked River. “They can't all have been time-travellers. If you're still looking that suggests they were just lucky.”

“Alas, yes!”

“So where are they?” she repeated.

Bant waved a dismissive hand. “We had some problems with the airlocks in the holding area.”

“That's murder!” River felt a righteous fury building in her stomach, and had to force herself to remain calm. 

“All's fair in love and war,” said the Doctor quietly. He looked at the general. “Isn't that right?”

“This is a pleasant conversation,” said Bant, “but we're wasting time. Where's this TARDIS of yours?”

“You can prise the key from my cold dead hands,” said the Doctor brightly.

“Not a problem.” The general nodded. “Well, I suppose I'll just threaten to kill your woman.”

“Try it,” said River, dangerously.

The Doctor looked at her. “River, don't go all heroic on me.”

“Why not?”

“It's distractingly sexy,” he told her. He looked back at the general. “As you can see, we're not really that scared.”

The general pulled his gun from the holster on his hip. “I don't want you scared, I want one of you dead and the other compliant.” He took aim at River. “So, should I kill her or not?”

The Doctor stepped between them. “I'd rather you didn't.” He turned to River. “Sorry, I don't want you to die.”

“You can't just give them the TARDIS!” she protested. 

The Doctor kissed her cheek, then, so quietly she almost missed it, whispered “Trust me.”

 

An hour later the Doctor had connected the TARDIS to the kidnappers' ship. River had refused to help, which was not entirely just an act. 

“Now,” said the Doctor, “so you don't just kill us I've taken the liberty of bio-locking the controls. You'll need both of us to work it. River, if you could come here and hold down the green button.”

River moved, looking for some kind of signal to act. She had no idea what the Doctor's plan was, but she was ready to move whenever she had to.

Instead, he took her hand and squeezed it quickly. “Take a deep breath, for luck.”

River frowned at him.

“Really, it's lucky.”

She didn't understand but she did what she was told anyway. 

And then she was in deep space. The shock pulled out the breath she'd been holding. She felt the Doctor's grip on her hand, and heard a strange wheezing, groaning sound fade in as she lost consciousness...

 

River woke up in her bed on board the TARDIS. The Doctor was on his side next to her, watching. 

“I extended the dematerialisation field,” he said before she could ask. 

“The ship...”

“It jumped a few years into the past. The TARDIS decoupled from it and came back to pick us up.”

River thought this through. She sat up suddenly. “The people on board – what happened to them?”

The Doctor met her gaze easily. “They weren't nice people, River.”

“That doesn't mean it was all right to kill them!” 

“One psychopath per TARDIS,” he said softly.

“What?”

“Spoilers.”

River took a deep breath to calm herself. “Sometimes you scare me.”

He looked at her. “Do you want me to drop you off somewhere?”

She shook her head. “No. I suppose I have to get used to it.”

The Doctor got up from the bed. “I'd better go check the TARDIS over. She's not really supposed to be able to do that sort of thing.”

River felt suddenly tired. “You do that,” she said. She settled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. 

“Sorry,” said the Doctor, quietly. “I suppose that's another ruined honeymoon.” 

He left the room before she could think of a reply.


End file.
